Two brothers were last week brought before the Corporate Area Resident Magistrate’s Court after they reportedly “badminded” their co-worker over his football playing skills and stabbed him several times in his face following a dispute at a football match.
Tyrone Braham, 30, gym instructor, and Dwayne Allen, 28, porter, both employees of St Joseph Hospital in South East St Andrew, were arrested and charged with unlawful wounding, following the alleged incident.
The court heard that on the day in question, both Braham and the complainant got into a confrontation on the field over a play that was made, and the complainant walked off the field.
However, Braham and his brother reportedly then went in search of the complainant and inflicted several stab wounds to his face, resulting in the complainant being admitted to hospital for a day.
The complainant, who appeared in court with a bandage to his face, told the court that he got over 36 stitches.
However, Braham’s attorney dismissed the allegations, claiming that the men were not responsible for the complainant’s wounds.
According to him, the complainant punched his client during the dispute on the playing field and Braham went to ask the complainant why he had punched him when he was attacked by persons who were with the complainant.
“Somewhere in that brawl it occurred,” the lawyer said.
But Senior Magistrate Judith Pusey told him that she could not understand why his client would want to question the complainant when he already knows the answer.
The prosecutor then read the complainant’s statement which reported that it was Braham who had punched at the complainant several times and was punched to the ground by the complainant.
“They badmind him because he played well out on the field,” the prosecutor said.
“You remember the last thing that Zidane did? Why can’t you all do that and get along,” Pusey said, amidst laughter from the court.
“If people would do that then medical expenses would be less and my work would be less,” she said.
The magistrate then informed the lawyer that she was not prepared to admit the men to bail.
“It is sufficient enough for me to allow the blood to cool a little,” she said.
The accused are to return to court on February 26.
Cabbie accused of abducting and raping schoolgirl
A taxi driver who was reportedly held by police with a schoolgirl in his car after abducting and raping the girl, was denied bail.
The accused allegedly picked up the complainant on the Washington Boulevard in Kingston and took her to a location where he locked her in a room at the back of a premises and performed certain sexual acts on her, against her will.
The court heard that the complainant was locked in the room for three hours before the accused decided to take her home after threatening her.
The accused was reportedly held after police stopped his car in the early morning and saw him with the complainant. He was subsequently charged with forcible abduction, grievous sexual assault and rape.
However, on Thursday when he appeared in court he denied the allegations, claiming he had only picked up the complainant to protect her and did not harm her.
“I saw her at I:00 in the morning with a man walking on the Boulevard and because I know her mother, I picked her up in the car to take her home,” he said.
“I am not guilty of raping her,” he added.
“You can convince yourself, you can’t convince me,” Pusey told him.
According to the accused, he was the one who gave the police the complainant’s mother’s telephone number and that he was sometimes asked by the complainant’s mother to drop her and her brother at school and bring them home after school.
“I am willing to do a DNA test to prove my innocence,” the accused man declared.
However, the magistrate told him that she was not minded to grant him bail and he was remanded in custody for a preliminary enquiry on March 20.
One year for woman who tried to smuggle ganja to Barbados in vagina
A young woman who tried to smuggle a little over two pounds of ganja to Barbados in her crotch and vagina was sentenced to one year in prison after she pleaded guilty to breaches of the Dangerous Drugs Act.
Tashana Williams, 22, was also fined $27,200 and if the fine is not paid she will serve an additional six months in prison.
Williams was held recently at the Norman Manley International Airport after she checked in to board a flight to the Caribbean island with a number of ganja pellets hidden on her.
Attorney Charles Williams begged the magistrate to extend leniency, noting that his client was a young mother who was trying to better her life. Williams said that his client had enrolled at school to do a cosmetology course but was unable to complete it because of financial reasons.
“She is sorry for what she did and it was out of an abundance of stupidity,” he said
But the magistrate said that the narcotics trade is one of the reasons why the natives of the other Caribbean islands continue to show very little regard to Jamaicans.
“It is very difficult for me to be flexible with the sentence. People must understand that if you going to deal and get caught with drugs, it is all over,” she said before handing down the sentence.
Vendor gets three months for bailing man with fake ID
The heartfelt pleas for leniency for a vendor who went to the Supreme Court with a false identification card to secure bail for an accused man, fell on deaf ears as the woman was slapped with a three-month prison sentence.
Juliann Brooks, 38, was ordered to serve three months in prison on each charge of false declaration and uttering false documents. However, the sentences are to run concurrently.
Attorney Michael Lorne pleaded with the magistrate to exercise mercy on his client’s behalf and to take into consideration that she was trying to assist a member of her community, but only in vain.
Two of Brooks’ close friends from her community also asked the magistrate to extend leniency, with one recommending that she be given a probation sentence.
Both women told the court that Brooks was an extremely kind and caring member of their community who is always doing something to help members of the community, even those unknown to her.
“If you sick and at hospital she will come and visit you and will even wash your clothes. If you ask her to look after your children she will do it,” one woman said.
However the magistrate was adamant that she has to take a stand and demonstrate the seriousness of the charge.
“I wish the whole of downtown and parade was here to hear. Let it be clear that when you breach those integral parts of the law you have to face the music,” she said. “Even the JP who sign the document will have to face the music.
“I could never be so brave to walk into the law shop with illegal documents. People have no respect for the law and we must not tolerate it,” Pusey said.
The court heard that Brooks went to the bail desk at the Supreme Court and tendered the identification card in the name of Juliann Levy and was held after it was discovered that the identification card was fraudulent.
Meanwhile, the Justice of the Peace who signed the identification card, Christopher Livermore, is to be sentenced on March 25 after he pleaded guilty to false declaration.